Ruination
by jin0uga
Summary: "Oh no...Father is going to kill me." Was the last thing that escaped her lips before two large canines buried themselves in her neck. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

It all started with a cough.

The walls of Ruby's throat clashed roughly, creating a painful friction which made her eyes water. She expelled the breath from her lungs in a sudden burst, as if the air itself were poison. Her chest heaved, each new breath she took feeling like someone had shoved a thousand tiny needles down her throat. It was then she heard it – the crude words emerging from the back of her mind, the hiss resembling the sound of acid on metal.

 **Join us**

 **Join us**

 **We will be one**

' _What was that?'_ Startled, Ruby looked around frantically in search of the mysterious words. Dread settled in her gut, and the temperature of the air around her had dropped so much that it made her shudder. An uneasy feeling washed over her and she spun around to survey her surroundings. Gripping her red cloak with one hand, she chanced a look behind her and–

"Ruby!" Yang grabbed her shoulder, whirring her around. The girl yelped in surprise and tilted her head up to meet the burning gaze fixated on her. The blonde frowned when she saw a fearful gleam in Ruby's eyes, the diluted pupils constantly skittering left and right; searching for something that wasn't there. Slightly freaked herself, she slapped the small of Ruby's back, making the girl cough again.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asked with worry. "You've been acting weird since we entered the forest."

"I-I'm fine sis." The cloaked student insisted weakly. "But I think that I'm coming down something. My throat feels really scratchy and stuff."

"That's not ' _fine'_." Yang said, quoting the word with her fingers. "No wonder you were so distracted. C'mon let's get you back before whatever you caught gets worse."

"But we're in the middle of a mission!" Ruby declined the offer with a firm grimace. She tried to adopt a stern expression, but Yang's unamused gaze didn't waver for a second. "And as the leader, I think that we should–"

"And as your _older_ s _ister_." The blonde growled, keeping a firm grip on her shoulder, "I think that _you_ are gonna have to go back to beacon alright? This isn't a suggestion Ruby. I'll drag you back there if I have to."

"What about Blake and Weiss?" She shot back.

"They'll be fine." Came the dismissive reply. "We were only supposed to kill a couple of Ursa's. Even Jaune could do it. And he's _Jaune_."

"That was kinda mean."

"Whatever! The point is, we're going back to Beacon and that's that."

Ruby pouted but nodded in defeat. There was no stopping Yang once she made up her mind. But inwardly, she was glad that they were heading back. Forever falls felt…off today. It was as if a thick veil had fallen over the forest, snuffing out all manners of life. The air was dead and the atmosphere was unusually heavy. Plus, she kept hearing these weird voices in her head…

She shivered at the reminder. But her head was completely silent now, save for the nagging presence at the back of her mind. She wondered what it was; but when Yang abruptly threw lifted and threw her across her shoulder, her attention was turned elsewhere.

It must have been her imagination.

.

.

Ruby tossed and turned. The bed squeaked under the pressure, wooden beams shrieking in torment. It was already past midnight, but unfortunately, she couldn't fall asleep. She'd already drank three cups of warm milk, and for some reason, the delicious drink wasn't working its magic tonight.

Back to the soft mattress and eyes on the ceiling, Ruby shut her eyes in hopes that the sandman would spare some of his precious sand. The darkness around her seemed to be pressing in on all sides, surrounding her, closing in on her. Her nerves were on edge, and she couldn't stop looking around; expecting _something_ to be staring back at her. And not to mention that _they_ were back–

 **You will join us**

 **You will join us**

 **The time has come**

 **The time has come**

 _ **We will be one**_

The voices mocked, swirling around in the confines of her mind. The dull throb of her head made her groan, bearing the weight of an unseen battle taking place right under team RWBY's noses. ' _Shut up!'_ Her mind screamed, and she curled into herself all the while shivering like a panicked new-born. The voices wouldn't leave her alone, and Ruby thought that she was going insane. Nobody heard voices in their head. And she didn't dare to tell anyone, because the people that usually did were sent somewhere, far far away. ' _Stop it! Stop it! Why are you doing this? Who are you?'_ She pleaded. And like before, they didn't answer. Her cries met with a dry hiss, followed by an odd sound which resembled laughter before they disappeared completely.

Silence reigned again but their words replayed like a broken record in her mind. Forcing down a sob, a terrified Ruby spent the rest of the night shaking under her covers. She didn't dare look out of her blanket till morning.

.

.

 **You will become one of us.**

 **There is no escape.**

 **We are the creatures of shadows, of darkness, of despair.**

 _ **Make us whole.**_

.

.

The three members of team RWBY shuffled nervously in their seats. The wizened old man peered at them as he spoke, trying to calm their nerves lest they implode on the spot. It was easy to see how reluctant they were to be here, but regardless, they didn't have any choice in the matter. "I see. And this has been going on for about a week or so?" He asked, tapping the expensive fountain tipped pen against the soft grain of his desk.

Yang nodded. "Rubes was told me that she was sick during of our missions. So I brought her back and made her take some medicine and stuff."

"What did you give her?" The man sat little straighter at this. "It may be possible that she's allergic to something she's taken."

She shook her head. "That's impossible doc. She's been taking this since…I dunno, forever. Our dad even swears by this stuff."

"Hmm. What else has she been doing? Anything out of the ordinary?"

Weiss was the one who spoke up this time. "She's not doing anything unusual. In fact, she's doing the same thing she does every day. The only thing strange about her is the fact that she couldn't get any sleep for the past week."

Blake nodded in agreement. "Although, she _has_ been spacing out a lot recently." She added in her two cents. "Ruby can't seem to concentrate during class. She even nearly sliced her own head off during a spar today."

The man bobbed his head and frowned. It sounded strange indeed. He'd seen people exhibiting such symptoms before but he doubted it was merely a mild case of insomnia, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to take a look. It didn't hurt that the Headmaster himself had arranged this. Usually, the professors just directed students to the nurse's office, but if they had taken the trouble to send for him, it must have been quite serious.

He sighed, writing down a few more of his observations. Then, he shut his leather bound book with a snap before addressing the three huntress's in training. "I'll see what I can do. I'm not sure that I can help much though, other than administering her sleeping pills." He said.

Yang paled at that, and Weiss growled lowly under her breath. Looking at him apologetically, Blake nodded in understanding before turning to comfort her partner. Slipping his fountain pen into the coat of his breast pocket, the doctor stood from his seat and made his way towards the door adjacent to his desk, the door leading to another room where his patient was waiting.

Ruby looked up tiredly, her body swaying from side to side. Dark bags hung under her abnormally dead eyes, and she gazed at the foreign man who had just entered the office. "Good afternoon miss Rose." He greeted amicably. "Let's be quick about this shall we?"

"O-Okay." She replied nervously.

They ran through a series of tests and with each passing moment, the man was becoming more and more convinced that this was just your typical case of sleep depravity. Sighing inwardly, he looked down at his notes once again. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. The only symptoms she had was a bad cough, and even that was no grounds for suspicion.

Thoroughly bewildered but relived, he leaned back into his chair with a pleasant smile on his face. "Well, it seems that you're completely fine Miss Rose." He said. "I'll administer some medicine for that nasty cough of yours, and perhaps some pills for your insomnia. Now if you would kindly be patient for a little longer, allow me to check your aura using my semblance. I assure you that nothing extreme will occur, I was trained to carry out the procedure safely after all."

Ruby grunted, nails digging painfully into her palm. ' _Why do I suddenly feel…?'_ Her thoughts were derailed when the doctor began to blab on about what would happen and stuff but she couldn't seem to keep her focus on him. A whirlpool of thoughts pounded in her head, flashes of demonic red eyes flickering in and out of existence. The room seemed to be getting hotter, and a strange feeling had settled in the pit of her stomach. Something in her chest stirred, her heart palpitating wildly. She glanced at the man weakly, hoping that he had noticed her distress.

"…I feel weird." She wheezed, followed by a hacking cough that made her vision whirl. "C-Can you take a look again after this aura reading thing?"

"Of course. And also, do let me know if you feel any discomfort during the process." He answered. With steady hands, he motioned for her to extend her hands forward. She did so reluctantly and flinched when he suddenly moved, placing his hands atop hers. Noticing her reaction, he smiled apologetically. Not wasting anymore time, the doctor shut his eyes and began. He took in a deep breath and called forth his aura, the feeling of raw energy rippling from somewhere deep inside him and bursting forth. It spilled from his hands, overflowing, and it was then that he activated his semblance.

Ruby shuddered when the doctor's aura mingled with hers. It didn't exactly mix with her own, in actuality it ghosted over her skin; rapidly expanding over her small frame and encasing her in a brilliant green glow. Beads of sweat forming at his temples, the man was finally able to get a clear reading of her aura. What he found though, made him frown in confusion, his eyebrows furrowing in distress. According to her medical reports, the girl's aura was describe as gentle, transient and felt more like a thin membrane spreading across her body unlike the thick gel like aura protection most people had. They theorized that her speed semblance was partly what influenced its structure.

But this aura…it did not even remotely feel _gentle_. It was more like a thick mass of goo, the tendrils of red and black spilling from her pores. When he tried to push some of his aura into hers, it was repelled. Violently. The strain made his head throb, and he wondered if the report had indeed been accurate. And then– he felt it. A foreign presence within her aura. It was easily discernible from the girl's. Through his scan, he could feel that it was emitting…something. What it was, he didn't know.

But he was going to find out.

Against his better judgement, he concentrated his aura on that particular area where it resided. He didn't want to panic the already jittery girl so he gave no clue whatsoever to what he was doing. Carefully, he suddenly directed his aura into that particular area in one fell swoop. Ruby gasped when her head throbbed painfully. Something was pressing against the base of her skull, and she could feel the doctor trying to break through the thin coat of aura covering her entire being. For some reason, the nagging feeling in her mind grew stronger and stronger. And then she could hear the voices reverberating throughout her head like looped record, just going on and on and on.

"S-Stop" She whimpered.

 **You cannot delay the inevitable.**

"Please stop!"

 **It is time to take your place among us.**

"Plea–" Her cries fell upon deaf ears as the men felt his mind drift away with his aura. He felt himself reach for the foreign matter, his aura fighting its way through the girl's. The black mass writhed under his scrutiny and shied away from him; but he was upon it in seconds. He would've tried to separate it, cleanse it, or tried anything he could to examine it, but unfortunately he would never get the chance.

The man watched as the world around him tilted, taking note of the sudden weird feeling of numbness below his neck. "Oh…" He whispered, face impassive as he watched a fountain of cherry red liquid spurt from the bloody stump that had once been his neck. There was a faint feeling of gravity working on him as his head plummeted towards the carpeted floor of the room. And then his gaze shifted again. This time, he was staring at the dull beige surface of the ceiling.

Ruby stared at his corpse. Silver eyes briefly flickered with emotion, the guilt of his death grasping at her poor little heart. And then the feeling was suddenly…gone. In its place was exaltation, the joy at what she had done pumping through her veins. Shakily bending down, she groaned breathlessly as the smell of wet, bloody meat filled her nostrils. Stalking forward, the girl plunged her rapidly changing teeth into the sinfully delicious smelling arm; her molars grinding against bone, tongue drifting over the ivory whites while canines sliced through sinewy tendons as easily they would butter.

As she revelled in the newfound emotions, her body began to transform. Pale, porcelain like skin dulled into an ashen grey. The grey soon begin to darken rapidly as small pinpricks of fur sprang up from somewhere beneath her skin. Her gasp contorted into a wail as her bones started to expand.

Her small, lithe body grew at a startling speed and soon, Ruby towered over his ghastly remains. Opposing thumbs and fingers sharpened, the fragile human nail morphing into the thick stuff that made an animal's claws. Her jaws extended forward, a burning sensation spread throughout her body. Her bones crackled with unbridled joy and her skin was made and torn, and made and torn over and _over_ again. Silver pupils soon felt their vision melting away into oblivion, and Ruby was plunged into the abyss.

 **Rise.**

 **They chanted.**

 _ **Rise**_ **.**

 **They chanted.**

And then Ruby stopped being Ruby.

What was left of her humanity had finally been eroded, and so _she_ ceased to exist while _ **it**_ came into world of the living **.**

"Oh my god – RUBY!" Yang busted the door down with one blast from Ember Celica. The finely crafted door hadn't stood a chance against her, and so the three members of team RWBY found themselves standing at the demolished door way, staring at the horrifying scene before them. There stood a large hulking grim in the centre of the room, crimson cape billowing eerily behind it. Too intelligent eyes tracked their every move, its mask pulsing and glowing red.

Weiss was the first to put two and two together.

'"Ruby?"She mouthed at the creature, blue irises fixated against the dots of red against marble white. She took a tentative step forward, ignorant to her friend's cries, moving ever more closely to the still monster. "It's me. Weiss, your partner." When it made no sign of aggressive behaviour she had come to expect from Grimm, the heiress heaved a sigh of relief when it made no outward sign that it was furious at her presence. A smug smile playing on her lips, Weiss turned to beckon the other two forward when she was abruptly lifted into the air.

"Hm?" She said in confusion as she looked down. Her blood gleamed under the brightness of the fluorescent lighting, and she watched in surprising detaches as a droplets of red began to stain her pristine dress. She breathed. "Oh no...Father is going to kill me." Was the last thing that escaped her lips before two large canines ruptured the blood vessels in her neck. A thick syrupy liquid was expunged from her mouth as she sputtered and wheezed when her throat was being uncooperative. She felt pieces of herself being taken away, but was too late to stop _it_.

Manicured fingers hanging limply by her sides, Weiss met the horrified gaze of Blake and Yang, the disgust and fear shining through their normally vibrant eyes as they watched Ruby take large bites from the heiress's neck, soon trailing down to her shoulders.

Desperate blue eyes met theirs and it did not take a genius to know what she was trying to tell them.

' _Run'_ she mouthed.

And then all hell then broke loose when the monster let out an ear splitting howl and a loud _crunch;_ the bone separating from the spine as it swallowing her entire head.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Yeahh so it's 3 am and I can't sleep. I'm excited to watch crimson peak tomorrow, and since I hit a writer's block on my other two ongoing stories, I thought I would follow up on this horror thing. So excited for crimson peak~ Let me know what you think! I feel that my writing has become really bland recently, so leave a review if you feel it's sorta become like that too. Or maybe I'm just overly paranoid *shrugs*

* * *

Pyrrha made her way down the dark hallways of Beacon. The cool weather of this afternoon saw many students milling about the hallways or lazing about in their rooms, and she passed them by without a second thought. Her stride was steady and her footfalls were heavy, but her expression was anything but confident. Her grip around the bouquet of flowers tightened as she drew closer to the west wing of the school, where the grievously sick and wounded were stationed.

Passing by several unoccupied rooms, Pyrrha drew in a shallow breath as she came to a stop outside her destination. She hoped that Yang was still awake. Pyrrha lifted a hand and knocked, feeling her heart jump at the sharp thuds produced by the back of her knuckles.

She strained her ears, hoping to hear the familiar voice of a once cheerful and carefree classmate, but was rewarded with the annoyingly high pitched voice of the nurse instead.

"Come in!" The lady chirped. Pyrrha felt disappointment flood through her and let out a tired sigh.

"Pardon the intrusion." She said before pushing the door open. The smell of disinfectant hit her, the very first wave, followed by the smell of tasteless but vitamin enriched hospital food that made her toes curl. It took a large chunk of her willpower to refrain from flinching, her own batch of memories about staying in rooms like this suddenly emerging to the forefront of her mind. She cleared her throat and smiled at the nurse, who was perched on a plastic seat with a romance novel in her hands. She looked up with a smile, unperturbed that she had been caught slacking.

"Oh, Miss Nikos! Have you come to visit Miss Xiao long again?"

"Absolutely." Pyrrha nodded, her smile becoming strained. What a ridiculous question. What else would she be doing here? "How has Yang been?"

"Nothing much, really. Despite my efforts, she barely eats anything and just stares out the window. She's not interested in watching or reading anything either." The nurse huffed. "If you ask me, I don't see why she needs to be waited on hand and foot. She's functioning, and perfectly healthy. This is just an excuse to skip classes no doubt."

"I see." Pyrrha answered shortly. The incompetence and sheer arrogance of the nurse was starting to grate on her nerves. She wished that Nora was here to threaten to break her legs. It was infinitely better than putting up with this ignorant drivel. "I would like to have a few private words with Yang, if you don't mind."

"Gladly. Don't take too long, Miss Xiao long is scheduled for a check-up at 2.30." The nurse grouched. With a skip in her steps, the jester in uniform exited the room, leaving Pyrrha and Yang to their own devices.

The armour clad warrior approached the bed ridden girl, leaning against the metal rails framed the bed. They creaked loudly under her weight, making Pyrrha force down a wince. Yang however, showed no signs of acknowledgement, merely staring at the whitewashed ceiling with a blank look in her eyes.

"Hello again. How long has it been since I came to see you?" Pyrrha spoke in soft tones, her voice calm and steady. "Nora told me to say hi. She's very worried about you, you know? She keeps saying how the nurse is a 'stupid twig' who needs to have her legs broken. And I completely agree with her. Honestly, I would have thought that Beacon screened their staff before hiring."

Pyrrha finished with a chortle, her cheeks lightly dusted with red. It felt strange to be gossiping about someone else, especially since she wasn't the type of person to do so. But again, there was a first time for everything.

"Ren and Jaune chipped in to buy you these," She held up the bouquet with a proud smile, "We decided that your room was sorely due for some fresh ones." Pyrrha finished, shooting another glance at Yang. The lack of emotion on her face didn't shock Pyrrha as much as disappoint her, and she walked over to the other side of the bed where a small table stood. She grabbed the vase by its neck and emptied the batch of withered flowers in the nearby bin. Unwrapping the bouquet of flowers she had brought, she gently deposited them into the purple vase, making sure to position it where Yang could at least catch a glimpse of it.

With that done, Pyrrha turned her attention back to the emotionless shell of a girl laid against the clean sheets. She couldn't help but frown at the state of the other girl. Once more, she took in a deep breath, and spoke.

"There was a funeral held for Weiss and Blake." Said Pyrrha, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Everyone paid their respects. The teachers decided to bury the two together, despite the fact that Blake's heritage was revealed. Even Weiss's parents did not object to that."

Still nothing. Yang barely even blinked her words.

"I'm glad that the funeral went through, even though...we couldn't find much of Blake's body."

Pyrrha grimaced at the memory, remembering her reaction to finding the scattered pieces of Blake's corpse strewn around the border of the forest. She'd deposited the contents on the stomach on the forest floor and couldn't look at meat without starting to tremble. She was thankful that it only lasted for a week.

"But what really baffled the professors, was Ruby. Not a single hair or body part of hers could be found. Even at the scene of the attack, where the Grimm broke into Beacon. No one could find anything. Some people said it was foul play and that it was Ruby who killed them, but all the evidence suggested that it was some sort of creature, obviously a Grimm, who had given you guys the jump."

Pyrrha felt the goose bumps forming on her arms and shivered, rubbing the skin self-consciously.

"I just want to let you know, Yang, that I- team JNPR has _never_ believed those ridiculous rumours. Those fiends probably think it's funny to make up stories about murderers and the like." She shook her head in disgust. "The headmaster has forbidden anyone to go into the forest in the meantime and all class trips have been cancelled until further notice. But the four of us are planning to sneak into the forest to investigate. We'll definitely take care of that Grimm, Yang. So get well soo-"

"Ahem, Miss Nikos?" The voice cut through Pyrrha's rambling, making her look up in irritation. The nurse tapped her feet and made a laughable attempt at trying to look menacing. All it did was annoy Pyrrha further, who grit her teeth as she stomped toward the door. With a verbal goodbye to Yang, she exited the room with a heavy heart and directed a furious glare at the oblivious nurse who'd slammed the door shut upon her exit.

* * *

"Well, it seems like the patient is healthy enough to be discharged in several more weeks." The doctor droned, scribbling notes across the clipboard. "Upon the headmaster's request, she will have to go through some intensive counselling sessions before she can start any classes again."

The nurse blanched. "You mean she's still going to be under observation? If I may doctor, Miss Xiao Long is perfectly fine and doesn't need to be coddled any more than she already has." She argued.

The doctor glared at her, folding his arms across his chest. "And I suppose that you are qualified to make such a conclusion?" He told her sharply. "I know that this task has been somewhat of a burden on you, but at least keep in mind that _you_ are taking care of a survivor of a Grimm attack. Something as terrifying as that isn't merely forgotten with a few sleeping pills and a good night's sleep."

"That wasn't what I meant-"

"Which means that you clearly need to rethink your choice of words. Injuries are not limited to superficial wounds, psychological scarring is also common in patients. Do you have anything else to report? Has the patient been exuding any signs of stress?"

"…no sir." She mumbled, looking away from his fierce gaze. "The only thing she does is mumble under her breath every now and then."

"Alright. The important thing will be to keep an eye on her for now. You can at least do that much without complaining, can you?"

"Yes sir."

* * *

"Just because you're a doctor doesn't mean you have to boss me around." She growled angrily under her breath.

Yang remained motionless as the woman cleaned her thoroughly, wiping away the sweat which had stained her body. The nurse noted that the girl had lost quite a bit of weight, most likely from not eating as regularly as the doctors advised. The nurse snorted. They didn't understand her difficult her job was, not when they were shaking their feet behind their giant mahogany desks.

"Assholes, the lot of them." She cursed, gently dressing Yang with a fresh hospital gown. Letting Yang's head fall back onto the pillow, she cleared away the rubbish which had accumulated in the bin throughout the week. When she bent down to pick up some flower petals, a small whimper made her whip around in surprise.

Yang began to shift around in her bed, shaking roughly. The nurse quickly dropped what she was doing and did a once over on the patient. Checking for injuries, the woman was stunned when she found nothing to pin against the sudden, enthusiastic nature of the student.

"Miss Xiao Long." She said urgently. There was no reply, just a low gurgle that made her worry shoot through the roof. Placing her hands on both sides of Yang's shoulders, she gave the girl a firm shake that did nothing but aggravate Yang.

"…coming." Yang burbled, her eyes wild as she tried her best to sink into herself. "She's coming. She's coming. Don't let her take me…"

The nurse shook her head in confusion. "Who's coming? This is Beacon, it's the safest place in Vale for crying out loud. Miss Xiao Long? Can you hear me?"

Yang suddenly sat upright, her hand gripping the woman's wrist tightly. The nurse yelped in pain, beginning to grow scared of this erratic behaviour. "Let go!" She screamed, panic starting to override her senses. Let me go goddammit!"

" _She's coming! ShescomingShescoming!"_ Yang yelled, her nails digging deep into the woman's skin. " _Don't let her take me! HELP ME! HELPHELPHELPHELP ME-"_

The woman screamed harder, trying and failing to keep from bursting into tears. She didn't know how Yang would react, and that in itself was a scary enough thought to keep her from bawling. Just as she was at her wits end, a rumble of footsteps neared the room, and the nurse sagged in relief when the doctor and two other nursing staff burst into the room.

The man reared back in shock at the sight and barked out orders to the two nurses.

"Grab her arms." He instructed, striding over to Yang. "We need the patient to let go of her."

The nurse let herself burst into sobs at this point, feebly trying to tug her hand out of Yang's grasp. The girl's grip held however, and the sting of pain was becoming worse.

"We're ready sir."

"Okay on my count." He grimaced at the droplets of blood which had dripped onto the pristine bedsheet. "One, two, and three-!"

The sound of skin tearing was overshadowed by the shrill yell of Yang's victim, and the nurse toppled into a heap onto the floor cradling her bloody wrist.

"Tie her down!" The two staff looked at each other and nodded grimly, before springing into action. As the two struggled to get Yang under control, who was still yelling incoherently and thrashing about, he bent down to comfort the sobbing woman.

She shrieked at his touch, but was too drained to pull her arms away from his gentle grip. Staring down at the deep scratch wounds on her once blemish free skin, he sighed and shook his head.

"Now this changes everything…" He murmured. A bone chilling howl from somewhere in the forest split the tense atmosphere of the room, and Yang suddenly stilled, her struggle ceasing entirely. The nurses quickly took advantage of the pause to tie her hands against the frames of the bed, and quickly took several steps back.

" **She's coming for me…** " Yang breathed, her eyes fluttering shut.


	3. Chapter 3

"Guys, I'm starting to think that this wasn't such a good idea." Jaune mumbled nervously as they entered Forever Falls. The back of the sign that said ' _Keep Out'_ grew smaller and smaller until it completely disappeared out of sight. Team JNPR trekked through forever falls, keeping to the trails they usually used when out on a mission. Jaune was the furthest behind while the rest of the team stood a little ways in front of him, Pyrrha and Nora pushing through the dense thicket of bushes as Ren kept a keen eye out for any unwanted guests.

"No backing out now leader." Nora said in lieu of a reply, too focused in her task to turn back and face him. The dead leaves beneath their feet crackled loudly with each step, his shoulders becoming tenser by the second. Jaune gulped, trying to keep his hands from shaking. Ever the astute one, Ren stepped closer to reassure his friend and hopefully, calm him down.

"It's not the first time we've scouted the forest, Jaune. Everything'll be fine. We're keeping close to the edge of the forest as much as possible in case anything happens."

"O-Okay then. Let's j-just get this over with. This place gives me the creeps, especially when it's so dark." Jaune answered as he checked their surroundings with increasing paranoia. They continued their patrol, with Pyrrha making sure to cut down any or all sharp branches in their way so no one would get stabbed in the eye if they weren't paying attention. The girl occasionally threw a glance behind her to make sure that everyone was still together.

Despite the healthy amount of moon light they had tonight, the millennial old trees around them had seemingly banded together to prevent even the faintest sliver of light from passing through; the forest drenched in liquid darkness. The only reason the team was able to see past their noses, was because of their two sources of artificial light; produced by the torchlights in Ren and Nora's hands.

Jaune suddenly yelped when he tripped on a protruding root, falling face first and went sprawling across the damp forest floor.

Pyrrha was the first at his side, Ren smiling wryly as he handed her the torch. As the Amazonian started fussing over their leader, Nora heard the loud snap of a twig and was immediately put on edge. A quick check of the bushes nearby turned up nothing however, and Ren reassured her that the dark was merely playing a trick on her.

"I don't know Ren." Said Nora, her voice starting to sound uneasy. "It was too loud to be accidental."

"We can go check it out if you want." Ren brushed shoulders with her, his sharp magenta eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of life. "Jaune! We're going to-"

He stopped when he realised that there was no one behind him. Nora clicked her teeth, eyes widening when the gravity of the situation dawned on her. She grabbed his wrist as the torchlight in her other hand starting shaking. There was something about the forest tonight that put her senses on edge, and the hammer wielder was frustrated that she didn't know what it was.

"Oh hell." Nora breathed. "Where did they run off to?"

* * *

Jaune winced when a particularly sharp branch nicked his fingers, and pulled his hands back when Pyrrha peered over his shoulders worriedly. He shot an embarrassed smile at her, and shrugged.

"It's not here either." He said, to which his partner let out a sigh. She swept the light around them, combing through the darkness that seemed to be creeping up on them.

"Are you sure you lost your sword here Jaune?" She asked again, her brows furrowing.

"Y-Yeah! I accidentally let go of it when I tripped." He laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"I think we should have told Nora and Ren to wait for us." The worry was almost palpable in her voice, and Jaune answered her quickly, trying to stem the worry that spilled from her in waves. He patted her back awkwardly in an attempt to comfort her, something he thought he was never good at doing.

"They'll be fine! Actually, I'll be more worried for the Grimm that tries to get the drop on Nora." He smiled. "Magnhild is _terrifying_."

"I'm sure Nora would be flattered." Pyrrha giggled.

"Yep. I sometimes wish that Crocea Mors was more, I don't know…" He scuffed his shoe on the ground. "Scary, I guess. No one really cares about the classics anymore."

She shook her head in disagreement. "I think you're selling Crocea Mors short, Jaune. There is more to a weapon than how scary it can look. What's the use of a menacing sword that can strike fear the heart of your enemies, when it doesn't follow up with results? As they say, the weapon is only as good as its wielder." Pyrrha finished, her mini-speech causing Jaune to look at her with awe.

"Wow." He breathed, drinking in her words. "I've never thought of it that way. Thanks…" He trailed off. His musings were cut short when he saw something gleam, the light from the torch reflecting off the smooth surface of his weapon.

"There it is!" He cheered. "I told you it was somewhere around here."

Pyrrha shone the light over where Crocea Mors lay, its stark blue handle contrasting greatly to the dull browns of dead leaves and dirt. What struck her as odd was how far in the sword was. They'd stuck to the path, and Jaune had admitted that he had dropped it when he tripped. So why was it placed in a clearing…?

Pyrrha felt the blood in her veins freeze. Placed _._ It had been _placed_.

"JAUNE!" She yelled, darting forward. Her outburst had him look up, confusion apparent on his face. He turned around to look at her, his feet mere centimetres away from his weapon. "GET BACK!"

"Pyrrha…?"

The sentence was the last thing that escaped his lips as a hulking, fur matted form sprang out from the shrubbery around them, jaws closing around his neck.

Her scream shattered silence, the ensuring cry of fury drowned out by ferocious howls that could've brought the forest to its knees.

* * *

"PYRRHA!"

Nora was off like a shot, darting toward the source of the sound. Ren fumbled with the torchlight that had been tossed to him, and scrambled to fall in step beside her as she deployed Magnhild. They recklessly ploughed their way through the forest to the source of the scream, throwing all caution to the wind at the thought of someone in their team getting hurt. Or worse.

"PYRRHA!" Nora yelled desperately, exploding into the clearing just in time to see the Amazonian fend off an attacking alpha Beowolf. Its swing clipped the girl in the side, but she barely registered it as she let out a strangled yell of anger. Her aura had protected her from the brunt of the attack, but the claw marks in her Armor were clearly visible. Ren moved first, letting loose a hail of bullets at the smaller beowulves trying to surround Pyrrha, while trying to keep the light on the alpha which had begun circling all of them. Nora used the leeway to deliver a skull smashing swing at one of the Grimm, the sound of bones caving under the force of the blow making her grin with satisfaction.

"I got one!" Nora called out, the three of them back to back.

"Good. We have to stop them from boxing us in. Without any room to dodge, the Alpha has the advantage." Ren remarked. "Where's Jaune?"

"It was a trap-" Pyrrha hissed, her eyes narrowing into slits, "That _thing_ …that thing lay a trap for us and killed him."

Ren and Nora gasped, their expressions contorting into masks of pain and anger.

"You mean the Alpha?"

"No." Pyrrha shook her head. "Something much bigger. It…It got him by the throat and ran."

"I'll fucking kill it. I swear to god." The hammer wielder knocked aside a Beowolf in mid pounce, the thing letting out a whine of pain as bounced off the nearby tree trunk. "I'll do more than just break its legs."

"We'll have to kill these guys first. Pyrrha, do you think you can handle the Alpha while we get rid of the smaller ones?" Ren held storm flower in one hand, making sure to track the movements of the Beowolf leader that was still circling them. It bared its teeth, growling in frustration at the difficult prey.

"Gladly." She snarled in return, gripping Milo so tightly that her hands were beginning to ache.

"Okay. Let's do this. Nora! Get the two in front of you!"

Said girl leaped forward, a hurricane of power and steel. "On it!" She dodged an incoming swipe and swung at one of the Beowolves' legs, breaking them upon impact. The first of the two fell forward in a high pitched whine, and its pack member leapt forward to defend it, only to have their hides lit on fire when Nora's weapon shifted back into gun form and delivered a grenade round. The blast was big enough to leave a sizable crater.

Ren dispatched his own Grimm with ease, using the distance to his advantage. He ducked out of the way when the Alpha attacked again, the gleaming red eyes acting like a homing beacon in the darkness. Pyrrha executed a series of deadly accurate swipes and jabs, focusing all of her anger and hatred toward this monster into one sharp point, and buried the javelin in its chest. It was fast, but obviously not fast enough.

The alpha roared as the contraption slid through its body with ease, effectively spearing it against a nearby tree. Pyrrha stared at the convulsing form of the Beowolf before pulling Milo out and ending its life with a slash across its jugular. Flicking the blood off her weapon, Pyrrha turned to her team mates with grim smile.

"Alright, so all we have to do now is go after the one that kil- _took_ Jaune." She winced at the crack in her voice, and fought to keep her eyes from watering. Her chest was heavy, and all she wanted to do was just curl up on the ground and _cry_. "Let's move-"

Pyrrha jumped when Magnhild slipped from Nora's still hands, falling on the ground with a quiet thump of finality. Ren looked behind her, his mouth curling into a grimace. The torchlight in his hands had begun to shake, and the light flickered unsteadily. The sinking feeling in her gut only increased when she heard the sound of twigs snapping all around them, and Pyrrha turned around to see a sea of red eyes staring back at her.

She took a step back. "No-"

And then the darkness swarmed them, the light flickering out of existence.

* * *

Yang looked up wordlessly at the chorus of howls coming in the direction of the forest. The wind whipped against her pale cheeks, the pathetic hospital gown flapping in all directions. She sighed, staring at the vast nothingness of the pitch black sky. The shadows around her nipped at her heels eagerly, excited to witness what was going to happen.

"You won't get me." She rasped. "Not like how you got Blake and Weiss."

One step forward.

"You won't get me."

Another step.

" _I won't let you_."

Her feet met nothing but air.

" _ **You monster**_."

And then she was falling, and falling, and falling.

Falling headfirst into the concrete at least twenty floors below her.


	4. The End

" _-and in other news, an updated report on the string of mysterious Grimm attacks which have been plaguing the famous Beacon Academy._

 _With every passing month, more students have been disappearing off campus and only a small fraction of these victim's bodies have been found at this point in time. Hunters and Huntresses' have not yet been dispatched to clear out the forest, much to the city's concern. The headmaster has declined to comment on the current situation, but has released numerous statements in the past, assuring worried families of the increase in security measures._

 _Notable victims of the attacks include the previous Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, Weiss Schnee, and Mistral Champion Pyrrha Nikos. As the body count continues to rise, the Atlas Military will be lending their forces to cordon of Forever Falls, but until then, all activities in that area will cease. The school has warned the students that any attempts of sneaking into said area will result in immediate expulsion, much to their vehement protests._

 _As the situation continues to escalate, citizens has expressed their concerns on protection and theories of Grimm becoming more intelligent have been gaining much attention as well. That concludes our report._

 _Thank you for tuning in, and goodnight."_

* * *

 **AN** : Well, so this was a thing. So this concludes this sort of 'what if' story, if Ruby had turned into a creature of Grimm. This is just something fun I wanted to do, so don't mind the gaping plot holes in the story. A big thank you to everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed this story! The reviews are pretty fun to read :D I like that it made people go 'Wtf is this'. You can partly thank Crimson Peak for making this one shot into a four shot, not my fault I was so hype to watch it, lol!

Hope to see you guys for my future stories! And of course, Volume 3 HYPEEE!


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